Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has made it abundantly clear that there will be no backing down on Ukraine’s territorial integrity, especially in light of remarks from former President Donald Trump about potentially “swapping territories” as a step toward peace. These comments came before an upcoming meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
As Zelenskyy stated in a video posted on Aug. 9, “Ukrainians will not gift their land to the occupier.”
Meanwhile, Trump and Putin are scheduled to sit down in Alaska on August 15 to talk about ways to wrap up a conflict that has dragged on for three years. Trump’s administration has encountered challenges in mediating a peace agreement, with the former president becoming more outspoken against Putin and hinting at financial consequences if Russia does not engage constructively.
On August 8, during a White House event, Trump pointed out that both Russia and Ukraine might need to concede land to strike a deal, commenting that, “You are looking at territory that has been fought over for 3.5 years. But we’re considering swapping. We’re talking about getting some back,” implicitly referring to Ukrainian lands seized by Russia. He added that exchanges of territories could take place.
However, Zelenskyy is adamantly opposing any ceding of land and reiterated on social media that the resolution to the conflict cannot happen without the involvement of Ukraine. He emphasized that decisions excluded Ukraine amount to being against peace efforts, stating, “They will not achieve anything. These are stillborn decisions. They are unworkable decisions.”
European leaders have also expressed their backing for Ukraine in advance of Trump’s meeting with Putin. In a collective statement released on Aug. 9, they reiterated, “The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine.” According to leaders from countries including France, Italy, Germany, and the UK, the principle that international borders must not change through force remains crucial.
Discussions about negotiations have been floating around for months, originally set to include Zelenskyy himself. However, when that approach stalled, Trump mentioned on Aug. 7 that he was ready to meet Putin even if Zelenskyy wasn’t in attendance.
Recalling past engagements, President Joe Biden was the last U.S. leader to meet with Putin during a summit held in Switzerland back in 2021. Trump met Putin earlier in Finland in 2018; both interactions occurred before the escalation of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Putin continues to assert claims over four Ukrainian regions: Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson, alongside the annexed Crimean peninsula. However, his forces do not have control over all those territories.
The summit between Trump and Putin could be a critical turning point in Trump’s push for an end to the ongoing war in Ukraine. Over recent months, Trump has repeatedly criticized Putin while threatening to impose fresh sanctions against Moscow and other nations engaging in business with Russia, ahead of any agreement to cease hostilities.
With the summit looming, the uncertainty remains on whether any sanctions will actually come to fruition or be postponed. On August 6, the Trump administration took a step towards punishing Russia’s oil buyers by imposing a 25% tariff on Indian imports of Russian oil, marking the first financial repercussion for Russia in Trump’s current term.
Contributors: Lauren Villagran, Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, Francesa Chambers
This information first appeared in USA TODAY: Zelenskyy rejects conceding land to Russia after Trump suggests “swapping” territories
